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BullGuard Security Centre

UK Police target mobile phone theft

Mobile Security

Those concerned about theft of a mobile phone will be pleased to note that the police force is becoming more active in addressing this threat and will soon be far better able to combat the growing number of handhelds that are being stolen each year.

Officers on the beat will benefit from a recently established link between the Police National Computer and National Mobile Phone Register, allowing them to check to see if a phone has been stolen immediately via their own handheld device. On April 11 the new system will go live and will mean that officers no longer have to make a request for a search, which could typically take around 20 minutes.

"For the first time frontline officers can now obtain instantaneous results of searches on suspected stolen mobile phones” said Metropolitan Police Territorial Policing Command's detective chief superintendent Mick McNally. “The figures of 50,000 plus stolen phones a year being located and identified throughout the UK will further increase with this new Police National Computer facility. It sends a clear message to phone thieves that police and partners can identify stolen mobile phones in the hands of the thief or another individual."

It’s a refreshing move that will reassure consumers that new threats to personal security are being taken seriously, and with new technologies such as contactless payment gathering momentum it’s vital to keep pace with thieves and hackers looking to take advantage of the personal and financial data being stored on a portable device.